Lester & Hilda Groepper

GROEPPER ERICKSON WESTPHAL

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 8/27/2010 at 19:54:44

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Lester and Hilda Groepper
By Marilyn Heilman

Lester William Groepper was born to William and Anna Erickson Groepper on May 5, 1910, in Logan Township in Ida County. He attended rural school at Logan No. 3. Hilda Margurite Westphal was born to Ferdinand and Betty Ditmer Westphal on August 9, 1911, in Battle Township. She graduated from Cushing Consolidated School in 1930. Lester and Hilda were married on February 13, 1935, at the Lutheran parsonage in Cushing. This date happened to fall on a Wednesday and in those days Wednesday was considered the best day on which to be married.

They worked for several years on farms near Coleridge, Nebraska; Cushing, Kingsley, and Holstein. In the spring of 1938 they started farming southeast of Cushing. Lester bought a pair of mules on a sale and had five horses, five cows, four sows, and all secondhand machinery.

In 1944, they moved to a farm southeast of Correctionville that was known in early times as the Coon farm. It is located in the NE quarter of Section 20 of Rock Township along the ‘Danbury Blacktop’. The big tin barn was often used as a landmark in directing people in the area. Lester and Hilda purchased this farm in 1952. In the meantime, some remodeling was done on the house. The kitchen was taken off and made into a garage. A basement was dug and a new kitchen and two upstairs bedrooms built onto it.

They milked a lot of cows during the 40’s and the early 50’s. It was done by hand and later milking machines. When the milk was separated from the cream, the skim milk was fed to the hogs and the cream was picked up by a creamery. (The ‘cream man’ always looked forward to a good, cold drink of water from the pump in the front yard when he stopped there.) Later they sold whole milk.

The REC (Rural Electric Cooperative) brought electricity to the farms in this area in 1945. The Groepper’s REC bill for October 1946 was $4.92 for 60 kwh.

Their children attended grade school at Eureka #4 rural school which was one mile west of their home. They have many fond memories of their walks to and from school in bad weather as well as good. The three children all graduated from Correctionville High School.

In the fall of 1953, Lester had a farm accidednt when attempting to load a tumblebug (dirt scraper) with a cable onto a pickup truck. The cable broke and the tumblebug fell on Lester, breaking his leg and nose, cutting his lip badly, and breaking his dental plate. He was in the hospital for six weeks. He wore a cast form September to April and was in a wheelchair for quite some time. Then it was a brace until the following November. In Octobe of 1953, 88 men and 22 cornpickers and an uncounted number of tractors and wagons came to the Groepper farm and picked 90 acres of corn. Starting before 7:00 am, the corn was picked by noon. The kitchen crew of 24 women served the noon meal. It is at times like that that one truly appreciates the neighborliness that is part of our rural heritage.

The Groeppers had a farm sale in 1974 and continued to live thre until, 1979 when they moved to their home in Correctionville. Their grandson, Dennis Reyman, currently lives in their farm.

Lester helped organize the Rock-Kee-Union 4H club in 1951 and was a leader for many years. He has maintained an active interest in the club’s activities and three of his grandchildren are ‘graduates’ of the club. Lester is currently serving his 25th year on the Woodbury County Fair Board. For two years he was president and for twenty of these years he has been on the executive board. Many hours are spent each year promoting the Woodbury County Fair. Lester has also served on the Eastwood school board, Woodbury Ounty Extension Council, Farmers’ Elevator Board, and as an ASCS committeeman.

The Groeppers are members of St John Lutheran Church in Cushing. Hilda is active in the work of her circle there.

They are the paents of three children: Virginia Lee, Mrs Lewis Reyman; Roger Burdette and Marilyn Joyce, Mrs Robert Heilman. (See separate histories for Lewis Reyman, Roger Burdette, and Robert Heilman families.) The Groeppers have eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.